The Venture Bros.
| format = Action Comedy | runtime = 0:30 (per episode, including commercial break) | creator = Jackson Publick | starring = James Urbaniak Christopher McCulloch Michael Sinterniklaas Patrick Warburton Doc Hammer | country = United States | network = Cartoon Network (US) Teletoon (Canada) | first_aired = August 7, 2004 | last_aired = present | num_episodes = 13 (plus one special) | imdb_id = 0417373 }} The Venture Bros. is an American animated television series airing as part of Adult Swim on Cartoon Network. It chronicles the adventures of two dopey teenage boys, their super-scientist father, and their secret-agent guardian. The show is known for its developed plots and dry sense of humor. J. G. Thirlwell of Foetus fame scores the show. The series is an homage to the style of the classic Hanna-Barbara action series Jonny Quest with which it shares many similarities. Hank and Dean's roles resemble those of Jonny and Hadji, Dr. Venture is a caricature of Dr. Benton Quest, and Brock Samson can be considered a testosterone-loaded, excessively-violent take on Race Bannon (who actually appears in the series as someone Brock knows). It has been stated by the show's creators that the show also parodies Hardy Boys mysteries and comic super heroes. Oddly enough, one episode showed that Venture Bros. takes place in the same continuity as Jonny Quest. However, despite these similarities, the show does not focus on parodying these elements and stands on its own merits and themes. Show creator Jackson Publick (a pseudonym for Christopher McCulloch) was one of the main writers for the Saturday morning animated show The Tick; and Ben Edlund, creator of The Tick, has co-written one episode of Venture Bros. (Another Tick connection: Patrick Warburton, who played the Tick in the short-lived live-action series, provides the voice of Brock Samson.) The second season of the series is tentatively scheduled to premiere on June 11, 2006. The considerable delay between the end of the first season and the start of the second was partially caused by Adult Swim's delay in deciding whether to renew the show but was mainly caused by the fact that the show is drawn and inked in the traditional animation style, causing each episode to take considerable time to move through production. Characters The Venture family The Venture family composes the central characters in the show; they live in a fortified compound in an undisclosed location somewhere in the United States. The compound doubles as the headquarters for Dr. Venture's company, Venture Industries. *'Hank Venture' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): A teenage boy, one-half of the eponymous pairing. Hank is a combination of Joe from The Hardy Boys, Jonny Quest and Fred of Scooby Doo fame. He tends to be more athletic and better at disguises than his brother. He is always up for adventures and solving mysteries, but can be rather naïve. He is prone to flights of fancy, causing Brock to comment, "It's like he (Hank) channels dead crazy people." It is Hank who realizes that neither he nor his brother have any memories of ever having a mother. *'Dean Venture' (voiced by Michael Sinterniklaas): A teenage boy, the second half of the eponymous pairing. Dean is timid, selfless, and more "bookish" than Hank. He is a combination of Frank from The Hardy Boys and Jonny Quest's Hadji. He is always keen for adventures, but tends to flee at the first sign of bodily harm. He faints when he stands up too quickly and has a weak stomach. Though he is slightly more rational than Hank, he still thinks bad guys are toted away in sleeping bags, not body bags. It is hinted that he is uncircumcised. Dr. Venture comments that Dean is a bit more "effeminate" than Hank. *'Dr. Thaddeus S. "Rusty" Venture' (voiced by James Urbaniak): Father of the Venture twins. He constantly lives in the shadow of his famous father Dr. Jonas Venture, from whom he inherited Venture Industries. He considers himself an adventurer and "super-scientist" like his father, but he is somewhat of a failure despite some ability in the nebulously defined field of "super-science." He frequently swallows what he calls "diet pills" but are most likely an illegal stimulant, possibly an amphetamine. He has a number of enemies, most notably the Monarch and Baron Ünderbheit. It has been revealed that he never finished his studies, due to the death of his father during in his final semenster, and is not technically a doctor at all. He seems to dislike his sons; it is somewhat unclear whether he actually loves them at all. It is also unclear how and with whom Thaddeus produced Hank and Dean, though he does ambiguously state during a rant that he did it "in a moment of passion." He often suffers from nightmares where he, in one way or another, murders his twin brother while still in the womb. For some reason, he lactates during periods of extreme stress. *'Brock Samson' (voiced by Patrick Warburton): Though not related to the Ventures per se, Brock is the bodyguard of the Venture family and an agent with the Office of Secret Intelligence. As a "Super Secret Agent," he has a Level Eight (8), Class A license to kill and an amazing zeal to use it. Though Brock usually has a sedate and casual attitude, his temper can cause him to snap into psychotic violence at the slightest provocation. Brock adamantly refuses to use firearms, instead preferring his saw-toothed Bowie knife. He has also used his signature Dodge Charger to slaughter dozens of the Monarch's henchmen. The Monarch once referred to him as Dr. Venture's "Swedish Murder Machine." When angry, Brock is nearly unkillable. He can survive a live burial and the vacuum of outer space with little discernable effect. He also has a superhuman sexual appetite, with conquests ranging from beauty queens to sleazy strippers and prostitutes. His true love, however, is his nemesis, Molotov Cocktease. He is extremely loyal to the Venture family, actually living with them in the compound, and now seems to serve as a bit of a mentor and surrogate father for the boys, with whom he shares an avuncular relationship. *'H.E.L.P.eR.' (voiced by Soul-Bot): The Venture family's personal helper robot. H.E.L.P.eR. is an acronym for Humanoid Electric Lab Partner Robot. He was created by Dr. Jonas Venture to look after his son Rusty, but now assists Brock in looking after Dean and Hank. His voice consists of electronic beeps that are more or less understood by the Venture clan. Though he has very sensitive feelings, the Ventures often treat him like an old appliance or pet. A typical family adventure involves H.E.L.P.eR. being abused or damaged in some way. *'Dr. Jonas Venture' (voiced by Paul Boocock): Deceased father of Dr. Thaddeus Venture, seen in dreams, hallucinations, and flashbacks. He was the foremost scientist and adventurer in the world of his time. He created what is now known as Venture Industries and led the original Team Venture. His character is based on Doc Savage. *'Jonas Venture, Jr.' (voiced by James Urbaniak): Dr. Venture's deformed twin, who was absorbed by Rusty in the womb. Until the first season finale, he appeared only in Dr. Venture's nightmares. He was freed from Rusty's body via surgery after being mistaken for a tumor. Desperate to claim the life that was stolen from him, he tried to murder Dr. Venture using a giant mechanical suit that he made out of household items. Though he has the body of an underdeveloped baby, his head has matured to an adult appearance that bears a striking resemblance to his father. He also seems to have inherited his father's brilliance, unlike Thaddeus. By the end of the first season, Thaddeus has agreed to share his Venture birthright with Jonas Jr. Villains *'The Monarch' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): Dr. Venture's self-styled nemesis. He is obsessed with Monarch butterflies, which he claims raised him as a child. In fact, he seems to have almost no understanding of their biology or behavior. Many of the elements in his criminal enterprise are incorrectly styled after monarch butterflies, including his floating hive base and his "stinging" poison darts. He longs to bring an end to Dr. Venture, but only because it seems that he has nothing better to do with his immense inheritance. He was a member of the Guild of Calamitous Intent, but he only joined for the medical plan. Despite his incompetence, he has nearly defeated Dr. Venture with several bizarre plans, such as transforming Dr. Venture into a giant caterpillar, but his plans always end up falling apart due to unusual circumstances. *'Dr. Girlfriend' (voiced by Doc Hammer): Girlfriend and assistant to the Monarch. She bears a remarkable similarity to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. Her comically deep voice (the character is voiced by a man) is a parody of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis' relatively low voice for a woman and also shares her New England accent. She has a rocky relationship with the Monarch that is aggravated by his jealousy over her past work with other super-villains, including the Phantom Limb. Rumors that she is a transsexual have been dispelled as a red herring. Nonetheless, Master Billy Quizboy claims that she has a surgically implanted baboon's uterus. *'Monarch Henchmen' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch and others): The incompetent henchmen of the Monarch, with whom he and Dr. Girlfriend have an disfunctionally parental relationship, though the Monarch frequenrly kills them for various infractions. They are all rather stupid, disposable, and interchangeable. The Monarch referrs to them all by number except for a junior henchman, "Speedy" and the highly specialized "Tiny Joseph." Two other henchman are singled out from the group as recurring characters: Number Twenty-One (voiced by Doc Hammer), an obese pop-culture geek, and his friend Number Twenty-Four (voiced by Christopher McCulloch), a tall, thin, dim-wit with a nasally, Ray Romano-esque voice. The Monarch has a total of about 83 henchmen, as reported by Dr. Girlfriend, though he generally seems to have an inexhaustable supply. *'Baron Werner Ünderbheit' (voiced by T. Ryder Smith): A noted member of the Guild of Calamitous Intent and tyrant dictator of Ünderland. He wears a prosthetic, metal jaw and speaks in a thick, pseudo-German accent. He is an enemy of Doctor Venture, mostly due to unresolved differences from their college days together. Venture is to blame for Ünderbheit's prosthetic jaw; as he says, "In my country, a lab-partnership is a sacred trust. One is always supposed to look out for one's lab-partner! Venture did not..." He has a disciplined army of henchman that are much more muscular and loyal than those of the Monarch, despite knowing that they will be executed at the age of thirty-eight. Baron Ünderbheit is a parody of Doctor Doom and has been jokingly identified as such in the context of show (e.g. The Monarch referred to him as "that dime store Dr. Doom"). His appearance and deep, booming voice also appear to be a parody of X-Men villain Apocalypse, who was also voiced by Ryder Smith in the '90s cartoon series. *'Manservant' (voiced by Christopher McCulloch): Baron Ünderbheit's long-time personal servant given to him for college by his mother. *'The Phantom Limb' (voiced by James Urbaniak): A villain with invisible arms and legs. He is a high-ranking member of the Guild of Calamitous Intent. It is hinted that he and Dr. Girlfriend used to be a couple. Friends/allies *'Dr. Byron Orpheus' (voiced by Steven Rattazzi): An expert necromancer who rents a portion of the Venture Compound and is friendly with Dr. Venture. Along with Brock, he is the only associate of Dr. Venture who displays any sort of competence. He has a bachelor's degree in communication and womans studies from a community college, but claims a doctorate from a "higher authority." He dresses much like Doctor Strange, with a face and voice similar to that of Vincent Price. His speech is filled with overly dramatic phrases and delivered in a grandiosely theatrical voice with extreme emphasis on mundane topics, usually over a background of ominous trumpet-laden music. *'Triana Orpheus' (voiced by Lisa Hammer): Dr. Orpheus' Goth-punk daughter. She has hair dyed purple, and is fairly friendly with the Venture Boys. She is possibly the most down-to-earth character on the show, despite her father's tendency to dramatize. Dean Venture has a crush on her, and she at least tolerates him. *'Pete White' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): An albino computer scientist and co-founder of Conjectural Technologies. He went to college with Venture and Ünderbheit where he hosted a New Wave radio show called "The White Room." Though Dr. Venture implies that his albinism is the result of a malfunctioning experiment, White is already an albino by the time he enters college. Possibly as the result of his meticulous New Wave fashion, Quizboy has accused him of being a homosexual, though he shows an interest in Triana. *'Master Billy Quizboy' (voiced by Doc Hammer): A self-proclaimed "boy genius," though he's actually an adult with a speech impediment and growth hormone deficiency. He is a neurogeneticist and co-founder of Conjectural Technologies. He suffers from hydrocephalus, causing his mother refer to him as her "little water baby." He has a bionic hand and an eyepatch over one eye, though they have yet to be explained. *'The Action Man' Rodney (voiced by Chris McCulloch): Retired member of the original Team Venture. He is an all-American supersoldier that can be best described as a kind of B-grade Nick Fury. He primarily fights with his handguns and fists. Since his retirement, he has become a crotchety old man with constant flatulence. He married Major Tom's widow after Tom's tragic accident. *'Col. Horace Gentleman' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): Retired member of the original Team Venture and later ersatz leader of the reformed Team Venture. He is a British gentleman and adventurer in the vein of Alan Quatermain and James Bond. The influence is also apparent in the similarity of his voice to Sean Connery, who has played both characters in movies. He dresses in an old-fashioned English style, complete with cane. It is briefly implied that he is a pederast. *'Kano' (unvoiced): Retired member of the original Team Venture. He is a master of the martial arts and an accomplished pilot. He never speaks, and only communicates by way of origami. In his prime, his hands were "powerful enough to crush a boulder," yet "delicate enough to crush a butterfly." *'Otto Aquarius' (voiced by T. Ryder Smith): Retired member of the original Team Venture. He is an exiled son of Atlantis, half-human and half-Atlantean, which provides him with a greatly extended life-span. Most recently, he has converted to the Jehovah's Witnesses, though his bizarre appearance sabotages his attempts at evangelism. Due to his new faith, he is now a pacifist, limiting his usefulness to the reformed Team Venture. *'Col. Bud Manstrong' (voiced by Terrence Fleming): Commanding officer of the orbiting space station Gargantua-1. He is in love with his station partner, Lt. Baldavitch, but his "seduction" of her has moved at a glacial pace. *'Lt. Anna Baldavitch' (voiced by Nina Hellman): Lieutenant under Col. Manstrong on Gargantua-1. Her face is never shown, and it is implied that she is catastrophically ugly, in stark contrast to her shapely body. Her unconsummated relationship with Bud Manstrong is put in jeopardy when the Venture team visits the space station and she has sex with Brock, with her helmet on, of course. *'Race Bannon' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): Agent in the Office of Secret Intelligence. He is killed recovering the Goliath Serum from Nat King Cobra's Snake-Men. It is implied that he is the same Race Bannon from Jonny Quest, as his dying words to Brock Samson are "Tell Jonny I love..." He and Brock Samson go way back. Others *'Molotov Cocktease' (voiced by Mia Barron): Brock Samson's love interest, despite the fact that she killed his partner and he killed her father and took out her left eye. She is an ex-Soviet agent, now making her living as a mercenary. She is a knife enthusiast like Brock. She shares a sadomasochistic relationship with Brock. Their meetings often begin with a vicious fistfight as a means of foreplay. Unfortunately for Brock Samson, she wears a chastity belt, so their relationship can never go forward. Her name is a pun combinining "Molotov cocktail" with "cocktease" (referring primarily to her chastity belt). She appears to be a parody of Marvel anti-hero Black Widow. *'Professor Richard Impossible' (voiced by Stephen Colbert): Former professor to Dr. Venture, Mr. White, and Billy Quizboy and founder of Impossible Industries, a major government contractor. Impossible and his cohorts are a parody of the Fantastic Four: an experiment with cosmic radiation gave them each strange abilities. Richard can stretch his body like rubber, similar to Mister Fantastic. The other members of his family have useless parodies of the other members' powers. His wife Sally can turn her skin invisible (but only her skin, which is somewhat less useful than the abilities of the Invisible Woman). Sally's brother Cody bursts into flames when exposed to oxygen. Unlike the Human Torch, he cannot control this very painful reaction, so he is kept in an air-tight container. Their mentally handicapped cousin Ned has a purple, "non-rocky" appearance. Unlike The Thing, he has no enhanced abilities or powers; his appearance is simply that of a "giant (and painful) callous." *'Roy Brisby' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): Founder, manager and CEO of the "Brisbyland" theme park and associated entertainment empire. He was crippled in an accident that occurred during the construction of Brisbyland and is now confined to a wheelchair. He wishes for Dr. Venture to clone him a new body. He is a parody of Walt Disney. *'Mandelay' (voiced by Charles Stewart Parnell): Roy Brisby's large bodyguard. Mandelay is named for his theme music, "Mandelay," from Foetus' Flow. Though his appearance is quite intimidating, he is surprisingly pragmatic when it comes to risk of bodily harm. *'Major Tom' (voiced by James Urbaniak): A test pilot for the late Dr. Jonas Venture. He died when the experimental plane he was flying crashed in the Bermuda Triangle. The character's name (and much of his dialogue) comes from the title track of David Bowie's 1969 album Space Oddity as well as his 1980 single "Ashes to Ashes." *'Steve Summers' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): A former astronaut. After a near-fatal accident, he underwent a six-million-dollar procedure to turn him into a bionic man. He is currently fleeing the military, who expected him to work off the six million dollars spent reconstructing his body. He is a parody of Steve Austin of The Six Million Dollar Man, the last name of "Summers" being taken from Jaime Sommers, the lead character of Six Million Dollar Man spin-off The Bionic Woman. *'Sasquatch' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): Also known as Bigfoot. Steve Summers' life partner who gave him a new hope to abandon his government work. *'Tiny Attorney' (voiced by Chris McCulloch): A southern gentlemen prosecutor during the Monarch's trial and #3 on the Guild of Calamitous Intent's Most Wanted List. He is actually a little person growing from the body of "an inbred simpleton". He is abducted during the trial by the Guild's Strangers, led by the Phantom Limb. He is a spoof of Kuato from the movie Total Recall and Andy Griffith's character from the TV show Matlock.. See also [[List of The Venture Bros. episodes|List of The Venture Bros. episodes]] DVD releases The first season of The Venture Bros. on DVD is currently scheduled for May 30, 2006, as officially announced by Warner Home Video http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=5026. It will coincide with the June premiere of Season 2. Originally, it was scheduled for March 14, 2006, but was delayed until "sometime in May", according to Jackson Publick's LiveJournal. DVD info: (updated info as of 2/11/06) http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=5104 Disc 1 Episodes: *"Dia de Los Dangerous!" *"Careers In Science" *"Mid-Life Chrysalis" *"Eeney, Meeney, Miney...Magic!" *"The Incredible Mr. Brisby" *"Tag Sale - You're It!" *"Home Insecurity" *"Ghosts of the Sargasso" Disc 2 Episodes: *"Ice Station - Impossible!" *"Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean" *"Return to Spider-Skull Island" *"Past Tense" *"The Trial of The Monarch" Bonus Features: *Includes the 2003 pilot "The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay" and the 11-minute holiday episode "A Very Venture Christmas" *Deleted Scenes *Behind-the-scenes mockumentary with cast and crew *Commentary Tracks on: **"Eeney, Meeney, Miney...Magic!" **"Tag Sale - You're It!" **"Ghosts Of The Sargassso" **"Return To Spider-Skull Island" **"The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay" External links * The Official Venture Brothers Website * Jackson Publick's Venture Bros. Livejournal * James Urbaniak's Livejournal (James Urbaniak - the voice of Dr. Thaddeus S. "Rusty" Venture) * Adult Swim - Venture Bros. Website * Scrotal Safety Commission (A satirical site on testicular torsion created by Doc Hammer for the episode "Are You There God, It's Me, Dean") * The Mantis-Eye Experiment (A Venture Brothers Fansite, good episode information) * The People's Republic of Venture (A fan site made by VB fans for VB fans and has been mentioned on James Urbaniak's livejournal as his favorite Venture Bros. fan site/forums) * The TV IV: Venture Bros. Episode Guide Venture Bros., The Venture Bros., The Venture Bros., The